By John David O Moncada
The thought of writing this scared me, not so much because this is my first article for One Voice Magazine, but because as a writer, one carries a big responsibility— not just of writing, but for being who you write about.
In this case, the topic pogi.
Am I pogi?
Sorry. That shouldn’t be in small caps, but in big caps: POGI – because it stands for something.
Again: Am I POGI?
Before answering this, allow me to share with you what I have learned from the book appropriately entitled: Real Men are POGI, written by Ardy Roberto. The book basically talks about what makes a guy a man. A real man.
Ardy turns the word POGI into an acronym with meaning. The first letter, P, stands for Purity. In a world that is full of sexual temptations, it takes a real man to say “no” to temptation; to say “no” to worldly expectations, and to live a life that worships God. In our youth retreat last week, after worship, I was reminded of the Romans 12:1 kind of worship which transcends just singing songs. It talks about offering our bodies as a living sacrifice.
The next letter in the acronym is O. It stands for Obedient. Obedient to what? To God’s commands. This obedience is rooted in the love one has for Jesus. Remember John 14:15,which says, “If you love me, keep my commands.” This means that a guy is a man when he loves God first— loving Him more than anyone else. If he does, I believe this will only be the time that the man can genuinely love others. A love that is apart from the love of God isn’t real.
The third letter is G, which means Gentleman. Obviously, a true man is a gentleman. 1 Peter 3:7 instructs husbands to live with their wives in an understanding way and to honor them. With this writing comes the prayer that in today’s modern world, being a gentleman shouldn’t be a dead concept. It should be kept alive. Men should open the door for the lady, allow her to climb up the stairs first, etc. More than the physical act of kindness is the tenacity for the man to say “no” to sexual temptation.
And lastly, we have the letter I, which means Intense. This is reflected in a guy’s effort to make a relationship work. Well, again, his relationship with the Lord must come first, and then with his life partner. This is a reminder for guys out there not to settle for a woman who is “pwede na.” After all, the Bible talks about the John 10:10 kind of life, which states: “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” God wants us to have full, great relationships with the best partner we can have!
So what makes a guy a real man? A guy is a man when he is Pure, Obedient, a Gentleman, and Intense. When he is this, then he is POGI.
Going back to the question, AM I POGI? To answer this, all I can say is that I am thankful that God gives me victory over my flesh to live a life that is reflective of His higher calling. Yes, I am POGI!
And with that, I bring to Him the Psalm 139:14 kind of praise: “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.”
